Reed Leads Successful, Bipartisan Push to Get Trump Admin. to Release Remaining LIHEAP Funds

WASHINGTON, DC - As working families across the country face sticker shock from their eye-popping gas and utility bills, the Trump Administration is finally heeding the call of a bipartisan group of lawmakers to release the approximately $400 million in remaining Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funding that Congress delivered in fiscal year (FY) 2026. With the release of these funds, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) announced Rhode Island will receive an additional $2,723,130 in LIHEAP aid to go along with the nearly $24.1 million the state previously received. As a result, the Ocean State will net a total of $26.8 million in LIHEAP aid this year to help Rhode Islanders lower their home utility bills.

Back in March, Senator Reed, a member of the Appropriations Committee, teamed up with U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), the Chair of the Appropriations Committee, and U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), a member of the Appropriations Committee, to lead a bipartisan letter with 37 of their Senate colleagues urging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to release the LIHEAP funds. And last week, Reed, Collins, Murkowski, and over thirty of their colleagues followed up by urging Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director to immediately release the LIHEAP funds to states.

LIHEAP is a federally funded program that helps low-income households pay utility bills, address energy crises, and lower costs by improving home energy efficiency through weatherization. Over the last year, nearly six million households nationwide - including about 28,000 in Rhode Island -- received LIHEAP assistance to help them lead a healthier, more stable life and avoid having their utilities shutoff or having to make tradeoffs such as skipping medical care or meals or turning to unfair payday loans that lead to a cycle of unending debt.

Overriding the Trump Administration's attempt to eliminate LIHEAP, Reed, Collins, and Murkowski successfully led bipartisan efforts to provide a total of $4.045 billion for the program in FY 2026 - a $20 million increase over the previous year. Much of that LIHEAP funding has already been distributed to help struggling families and seniors on fixed-incomes bridge the financial gap and pay their skyrocketing utility bills.

On November 28, after a successful push by Reed, Collins, and Murkowski, the Trump Administration released about $3.7 billion of that federal LIHEAP aid to states for distribution by authorized, local non-profit organizations that deliver social services, community health, and housing assistance to low-income, elderly, and those with disabilities across the country.

A nationwide cold snap earlier this year, coupled with soaring home heating costs and spiking gas prices, has put a squeeze on many Americans' finances, with those who can least afford the energy price shocks suffering the hardest financial blow.

"From groceries and gas to rent, living costs are soaring under the Trump Administration, and that includes home energy bills. It is unfair that as President Trump's policies fuel rising oil, gas, and electricity prices he is seeking to cut LIHEAP aid and add to the affordability burden of low-income families and seniors on fixed incomes who are struggling to get by. Finally releasing these funds is a welcome yet insufficient step. The Trump Administration needs to change course and work with Democrats to lower prices and end the reckless war of choice in Iran," said Senator Reed. "President Trump may not care about oil prices, but families already managing tight budgets understand the urgent need to lower prices and how modest investments like LIHEAP can make a world of positive difference."

Eligibility for LIHEAP is based on income, family size, and the availability of resources. Rhode Islanders who rely on LIHEAP can least afford the Trump Administration's energy price shocks and are the most vulnerable to extreme temperatures, whether it is extreme cold in the winter or deadly sweltering heat in the summer.

According to the National Energy Assistance Directors Association, roughly 1 out of 6 U.S. households (21.5 million nationwide) are behind on their energy bills in 2026.

In Rhode Island, in fiscal year 2025 the average primary LIHEAP grant was $422 per household.

In addition to Reed, Collins, and Murkowski, the March 12 letter was signed by U.S. Senators: Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Charles E. Grassley (R-IA), Angus S. King, Jr. (I-ME), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Mark Warner (D-VA), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Chris Coons (D-DE), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Angela D. Alsobrooks (D-MD), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NM), Ron Wyden (D-OR) Adam Schiff (D-CA), Peter Welch, Richard Durbin (D-IL), John Fetterman (D-PA), Tina Smith (D-MN), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Mark Kelly (D-AZ) Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and Cory Booker (D-NJ).

Earlier this month, the Trump Administration released a $2.2 trillion Fiscal Year 2027 budget proposal that would completely eliminate all LIHEAP funding and slash ten percent of other domestic programs across the board while increasing defense spending. And last year, the Trump Administration fired the entire LIHEAP program staff at HHS.

Full text of the March 12 letter follows:

The Honorable Robert Kennedy, Jr.

Secretary of Health and Human Services

200 Independence Avenue SW

Washington, DC 20201

Dear Secretary Kennedy:

We urge you to immediately release the remaining roughly $400 million of FY26 Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funding available under PL 119-75.

As the main federal program that helps low-income households and seniors with their energy bills, LIHEAP provides critical assistance during the cold winter and hot summer months. According to the National Energy Assistance Directors' Association, households are expected to spend 11% more on winter heating costs this winter compared to last year. With low-income families and seniors feeling additional strains on their household budgets, a timely release of LIHEAP funding is even more critical to ensure families do not need to choose between paying their energy bills and other essentials, like food or medicine.

Any delay in the release of appropriated funds would set back states' efforts to cover outstanding bills relating to unexpected delivered fuels emergencies, to weatherize low-income homes, and to plan for summer cooling programs. Our states are ready to deploy these funds to help vulnerable households as soon as they receive them from HHS.

We look forward to working with you on this critical program. Thank you for your attention to our concerns and those of our constituents.

Sincerely,

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